This Weekend: An Inventive Look at Irish Music with NYC duo

Violinist Dana Lyn and Guitarist Kyle Sanna to perform in Claremont and Cornish

New York City’s Dana Lyn, violin and Kyle Sanna, guitar perform their “through the looking glass” approach to traditional Irish music this weekend “The Coral Suite” in the Upper Valley. Performances will be held at the West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts on Saturday August 4th at 6:30pm, and at Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site on Sunday August 5th at 2pm in honor of Larry Nowlan, Jr.

Also coming up: Wednesday 8/8: Bassel and the Supernatural, Friday 8/10: Kinan Azmeh and Dinuk Wijeratne

Hailed as “ground-breaking” by noted folklorist and NEA Award-recipient Mick Moloney and “bursting with creativity” by renowned fiddler Kevin Burke, Dana Lyn and Kyle Sanna connect the dots between their experience as composers and improvisers in New York City’s rich musical community and their deep admiration for traditional Irish music. The duo has collaborated with some of the greatest living interpreters of Irish music, including Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill, Cillian Vallely, Kevin Burke, and Mick McAuley.

Lyn and Sanna have brought their inventive arrangements and nuanced interpretations of traditional music to clubs, festival stages and concert halls throughout the US and Canada. They have taught workshops at the Old Songs Festival, the Catskills Irish Arts Festival, the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, Wellesley College, West Virginia’s Augusta Heritage Center, Traditional Arts in Upstate New York, and since 2015 have been residents at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute in Boscawen, NH.

Their second album, “The Great Arc”, is inspired by and concerned with extinct and endangered animal species. The Irish Echo hailed it as “a deep musical work full of lavish, evocative textures” and the Dublin-based Grammy-winning singer Susan McKeown called it “sublime”.

Picking up where their last album “The Great Arc” left off, Lyn and Sanna continue their investigation of environmental fragility with “The Coral Suite”: an evocative sequence of Irish tunes that mirrors the life cycles and natural processes that occur within coral reef ecosystems. With the rich vocabulary of Irish melody, and with light boxes featuring Dana Lyn’s artwork, Lyn and Sanna create an audiovisual poem for the reef, paying tribute to its miraculous biodiversity while calling attention to the urgent need for its protection. WCCMA and Saint-Gaudens Memorial are pleased to offer this project as a “Two Day” music experience, with a unique and varied audience experience at each location by the same outstanding musicians.

The performance at Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site is dedicated to Lawrence J. “Larry” Nowlan, Jr (1965-2013). Larry’s love of the ocean and his passion for human creativity in all media is well-expressed in “The Coral Suite”. Come and remember the sculptural legacy and the humanity of a man known to many in the Upper Valley. Sunday’s performance at the park is free with park admission, and a part of the weekly summer music series provided by the Saint-Gaudens Memorial in partnership with the National Park Service. For more information visit sgnhs.org and nps.gov/saga

Saturday’s performance is a part of WCCMA’s Summer Concert Series at Union Church, a music series committed to barriers free access to great music. Admission is by donation. For more information about WCCMA visit wcc-ma.org.

InterArts Summer Camp: Still a few spots available!

InterArts Summer Camp: Paint, Compose, and Make Music!

July 10, 2018 @ 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts

Tues and Thurs for 3 weeks.

Join us for this fun and creative program. There are a few spots left, and we have some scholarships remaining. Don’t miss this opportunity to make your own artwork and music!

A Multidisciplinary program for artists of all types. Come together to create art and music! Whether you want to write a song, take music lessons, or work on art projects this camp is for you! For middle through high school students. If you would like to be considered for a fee waiver or other payment options please contact us. Your registration is not finalized until payment is received or arrangements made. Limited spots are available!

Dates: Tuesdays and Thursdays July 10 – 26.

For Information, PDF Application, and Payment options: www.wcc-ma.org/InterArts WCCMA’s InterArts Summer Camp is an opportunity for students with an interest in the arts to come together to explore, learn, and create for 3 weeks over the summer. Participants will collaborate to form a multi-disciplinary showcase for the public which will be shaped and guided by their talents. Tuesday and Thursday for 3 weeks in July participants will work together to create artwork, musical ensembles, and write original pieces of music to showcase on July 26th at 5:30pm for friends and family.

More information

Coming up: Spring Tea, Open Studio, and more!

Don’t forget: we need your help!

Community Feedback is needed for the development of our new downtown arts space. The West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts have envisioned a great downtown space based your interactions and interest over our 10 years making great music and art with you. Now you can check out the concept and share your thoughts during this planning process, because this space is for you. Please take just a few moments for a brief 10 question survey. The gathered information will be used to help plan the building usage, programming, and community priorities on the project. Please respond by Tuesday, April 17th at midnight! The survey link can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TTMHLXV.

 

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Arts Mixer – 3rd Saturdays Open Studio

April 21, 2018 @ 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Union Episcopal Church

Join us for a monthly open studio session at the West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts. All creative mediums are welcome. We’ll have hosts skilled in painting, drawing, crochet, sewing, jewelry, photography, graphic design, and more. Bring your project and all materials, some limited basic supplies and tools may be available for use.

This event is for ages 12 and up (under 16 should have an adult join them). Younger devoted artists may contact us to inquire about attending with adult supervision.

Fee:$10 for members, $15 for nonmembers
Want to become a member? Find membership information here

Pay through eventbrite, or contact us for other payment options at [email protected]

More information

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HopStop: Alissa Coates (FREE)

April 28, 2018 @ 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Claremont Savings Bank Community Center

A K-8 music teacher in her spare time, singer songwriter Alissa Coates performs for children all over Massachusetts. For this HopStop, Alissa brings her guitar, voice and also fun ways for the audience to play along. Alissa’s songs require movement, so come ready to sit, stand and hop all around.

More information

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5th Annual Spring Tea and Luncheon

May 5, 2018 @ 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM at Union Church Parish Hall

Join us for a family friendly event including a delicious luncheon, tea, activities, music, games, prizes, and more! Don’t forget to bring your spring hat for the hat parade. New this year, you won’t want to miss the cupcake decorating bar!

Doors open at 11:30, and the event officially begins at 12:00pm.

Last year we sold out of tickets, so make sure to buy yours early. You are not required to purchase through Eventbrite, but you must pay in advance in order to reserve your seat/table.

More information

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HopStop: Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers (FREE)

May 12, 2018 @ 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Claremont Savings Bank Community Center

Hand-crafted mouth and rod puppets tell the story of eight-year-oldLucy and her goofy pal Little Chucky. They are searching for buriedtreasure, but a gang of bumbling pirates keeps getting in the way! The kids get some help from their new friends including enthusiasticsuperhero Lobster Boy, his reluctant sidekick Crabby and an overgrown sea monkey. Will they find the buried treasure? Will the pirates foil their plans?

More information

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Arts Mixer – 3rd Saturdays Open Studio

May 19, 2018 @ 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Union Episcopal Church

Join us for a monthly open studio session at the West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts. All creative mediums are welcome. We’ll have hosts skilled in painting, drawing, crochet, sewing, jewelry, photography, graphic design, and more. Bring your project and all materials, some limited basic supplies and tools may be available for use.

This event is for ages 12 and up (under 16 should have an adult join them). Younger devoted artists may contact us to inquire about attending with adult supervision.

Fee:$10 for members, $15 for nonmembers
Want to become a member? Find membership information here

Pay through eventbrite, or contact us for other payment options at [email protected]

More information